Part 3
Teen Wolf
Tabitha followed Stiles into the Animal clinic, trailing behind him closely as he slipped in quietly.
"You're out of school early," Dr. Deaton welcomed with a friendly smile, "and who might this young lady be?" He smiled brightly at Tabitha. She smiled sheepishly back.
"Yeah, free period actually," Stiles said, "and this is Tabitha. Tabitha, meet Dr. Deaton." Tabitha waved to the African-American man and stepped closer to Stiles, exhibiting abnormally shy behavior. "Um, I was just heading to see my dad, he's uh –you know, I guess, you probably heard people are kinda getting murdered again. It's his job to figure it out."
Dr. Deaton looked at Tabitha strangely, wondering about her association. Stiles caught his drift. "Oh, Tabitha is Madison's Beta. She's well aware of the supernatural," Stiles grinned. Tabitha looked down awkwardly before looking back up to hide her anxiety.
"I gathered as much from the Sheriff title," Deaton replied after validation.
"Yeah," Stiles dragged on. "Um, you know, it gets kind of hard to do his job when he doesn't have all the information, and we all know he's missing pretty much half the story right, so? I started thinking and I remembered someone does have a lot of information, someone who seems to know more than anyone else around here…You."
Teen Wolf
"All these symbols and things, the triskeles, the bank logo, the mountain ash," Stile rushed, following Deaton inside the vet clinic. Tabitha was only a few steps behind, listening intently. "All of it is from the Celtic Druids, and anyone who has ever looked up human sacrifice before know the druids had a pretty big hard on when it came to giving one up to Gods. Ever heard the Landau Man? 2000 year old body found in England? He was found strangled, head bashed in, throat cut," Stiles described. Tabitha winced again, not amused in the slightest by the gory descriptions but Stiles continued, adamant on the subject "-three fold death. They also found pollen grains in his stomach. Guess what favorite druid plant that was?"
On the other hand, she couldn't help but smile at him from the side, not that Stiles notice since he was too impassioned in his speech. Deaton noticed her admiring gaze though, the way her gold-speckled emerald eyes shimmered under dark, long lashes adoringly at the man. Tabitha would have been surprised a long time ago if anyone told her she'd fall hard for a slim, sarcastic "little shit" (as Madison 'fondly' referred to him as on some occasions) as the stereotype for Tabitha was set by her brothers –tall (well compared to her short height, Stiles had a definite advantage –and to be honest –she found it attractive…) athletic, (well, Stiles wasn't all that athletic) but that's where she broke the mold.
She was enamored with his wit and quick thinking, contrasting her rash and shoot-first attitude. The fact his family –well, father actually since she wasn't quite sure about his other relatives –came from police background and he pursued a similar road only amplified her attraction to the young man. Though her family came from more military backgrounds, local cops were just as patriotic –probably not as Republican but she put political views aside for now.
Madison had warned her on multiple occasions during their tour around Europe to be careful. Tabitha was young, naïve, inexperienced and while she may be a force, Madison had said, Tabitha was still emotionally vulnerable and promised if Stiles even dared to hurt her in any way she'd break the boy's spine and bash in his head. (Madison could be a little graphic but in the case of defending her best friend and adoptive sister, Tabitha didn't mind knowing it came from a good place. That's what sisters did right? She never had one before and having Madison as her substitute was probably the best thing that happened to tom-boyish girl.)
Either way, Tabitha enjoyed the possibility of a sensitive, sarcastic 'nerd.' He would be better to cuddle with than –let's say –the likes of Jackson.
Tabitha watched as Deaton selected a glass jar of herbs, eyeing the unknown logo on the front. He pulls out a branch of mistletoe and shows both of them he knew exactly what Stiles was getting to. "Mistletoe," he announced.
"I'm just telling you everything you already know, aren't I?" Stiles thought out loud, looking down in embarrassment but he rose with a sudden blaze of anger, "then why aren't you telling us?" He yelled across the table. Tabitha winced next to him.
"Maybe because when you spent every moment of the last ten years trying to push something away, denying it, lying about it," Dr. Deaton explained softly, as if saddened. "It becomes a pretty powerful habit." Tabitha eyes sunk to the ground as she was reminded of her own battles with lycanthropy and having to hide it from her family –how it led to her exile. She rethought her decision to accept the reversal as she realized any attempt to reconcile with her father was severely cut. Why even bother becoming human when he still saw her as a bad reminder?
"Alright, so this guy, is he a druid?" Stiles inquired.
"No," Dr. Deaton shook his head. "It's someone copying centuries old practice of a people who should've known better. Do you know what the world Druid means in Gaelic?" He demanded furiously, angered by the tragic turn of events.
"No," Stiles whispered.
"Wise Oak," Tabitha answered. Dr. Deaton looked at her curiously. "It means 'Wise Oak.'"
"How do you know that?" He queried.
"Madison may be a genius but that doesn't disqualify me as intelligent. A lot of people seem to forget I come a very politically active family from sides, one of them which is Irish, which helps," Tabitha shortened her answer.
Dr. Deaton considered this and made a mental note to keep her in mind as the lovely brunette blushed under his cryptic stare.
"The Celtic Druids were close to nature. They believed they kept it in balance. They were philosophers, and scholars. They weren't serial killers," Deaton emphasized after an unnerving silence.
"Yeah well this one is," Stiles gravely replied.
Tabitha turned her head to Stiles' side as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He reached down for it, pulling it out and reading the ID. Tabitha's jaw tightened at the familiar name on his ID.
"Hey, I can't talk right now," Stiles snapped on the phone. Tabitha held back a smile, glad he wasn't ogling the bratty red-head like he usually did. Her happiness was short-lived when his eyes widened. "Wait, what? Okay, are you sure he's missing?"
"Not just missing, taken," Lydia clarified in a panic on the other end. Tabitha gritted her teeth.
"Ugh," Tabitha groaned. "Well seeing as school is over," she shot at Stiles as he ended the call, "you still owe me a lunch since we skipped it." Stiles nodded and took her hand in his, guiding her out of the room, Deaton in two.
"We can stop by my place after," Stiles suggested, opening the door for her. She felt her stomach flip nervously at the thought of his insinuation but his distracted expression reminded her that he probably didn't mean what she was thinking, so she compelled herself to drop her expectations to something more innocent. Still, she smiled nonetheless, eager about the intimate gathering and walked close by his side to his car which he drove her in.
Teen Wolf
Tabitha listened intently to the replaying of the tape, disturbed by the out of place chanting on the phone's speakers.
"Can we get a copy of this?" Dr. Deaton requested to Lydia. She nodded and took the phone from his hands, immediately sharing the recording however way she knew. Tabitha wasn't as tech friendly and often struggled with such tasks while much more efficient with manual tasks by building and dismembering a gun into parts just like father had instilled in her. She was hands-on person –which came to be very useful in the many adventures she came across.
"Hey Doc, any help would be, uh, you know, uh, helpful," Stiles stated from the other side of the room. Tabitha was occupied with sorting through the drawers, just as he was, but her eyes were distracted by what was happening away from her, slowing down the tasks. Stiles' hand came around her hip and gently nudged her aside as he re-examined her drawer with combing eyes. She felt her stomach flip at the gesture, unable to rid herself of the fluttering inside her stomach.
"Each grouping of three would have its own purpose," Dr. Deaton explained with deep, thoughtful eyes. "Its own type of power, virgins, healers, philosophers, warriors…" Dr. Deaton listed off, trying to find a common ground. Tabitha saw Stiles' eyes spark at the mention of the last namesake, jolting upright excitedly.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Stiles interrupted, focusing on the desk. Tabitha trailed her eyes down to his probing hands, catching the object in his hands. "Could that also be a solider?"
"Absolutely," Dr. Deaton replied.
Tabitha watched with hawk-like eyes at the picture in Stiles' hands, the one of the said-missing teacher in uniform and the lovely white-veiled bride in his arms on –assumingly –their wedding day. She frowned at the tragic reality that perhaps their marriage would be short lived.
"Kyle was in ROTC with Boyd," Stiles gathered as he slapped the picture on desk surface.
"That's got to be it," Dr. Deaton insisted. "That's the pattern! Where's Boyd?" He questioned.
"He's probably home right now. I'm going to try and get him on the phone," Stiles scurried, furiously searching for Boyd's contact on his screen. He started to walk off while Tabitha stayed behind, bothered by the new light of the situation.
No, her father was too far away –and yet the military revelation shook her. It was too close to home. She bit her bottom lip in anxiety.
She glanced over her shoulder and caught Lydia's stupefied expression with immediately peaked her interested, wondering what the red head had to offer.
"Lydia…" Dr. Deaton spoke first, suspicious, "something wrong?"
"No, it was, uh," she staggered in speech. Tabitha's dark green eyes narrowed, distrustful and doubting. "I mean- I just thought of someone else with a military connection."
"Who," Stiles demanded with equally slit eyes. His voice was hard and stern, matching his stiffened posture as his hand dropped, disregarding his out-going call.
"Mr. Harris," Lydia murmured. Tabitha caught it being so close but Stiles had to step closer to the desk, stepping alongside Tabitha enough that their elbows skimmed to hear Lydia repeat it.
Teen Wolf
Madison accompanied Scott and Isaac further into the day –as her father –the biological one –had promised her he'd pick her up after school at a certain time, so she definitely had some time to kill and why not spend the few extra minutes conspiring with the two Betas? Tabitha was enjoying some time with her lover boy and would join her later.
She descended down the steps behind them, taking her sweet time.
"Yeah, uh, I wish I could have seen their faces," Isaac wished out loud. Madison stopped abruptly behind them, tightening her eyes in suspicion as she smelled something –someone –familiar. Her muscles tensed in instinct. The boys walked ahead mindlessly, unaware of her abrupt halt. "They look seriously pissed?"
"Yeah," Scott assured proudly, grinning along with Isaac.
Madison turned her head to their direction and caught the duo of dark figures looming into the distance. Isaac and Scott trampled closer to them, unaware. Her eyes widened in panic.
"Scott," she called out in fright. Scott froze and turned, watching her frightened face shift into one of anger as her eyes burst into a fiery red looking past him. He slowly turned to the direction she was glaring at lividly and paled, finally seeing the twins he was unaware of before moments ago greeting him with equal hostility.
Using her enhanced speed, she made no problem joining their side, stepping in between Isaac and Scott and asserting herself protectively in front of them. Isaac dared to step up beside her, moved with the delusion of false equality and naïve bravery. She shot him a disapproving look and pushed him back with a hard shove of her palm.
"Back off," she warned the twins, "or I swear you won't live to see another day."
The twins laughed sardonically, glaring at her with comparable hatred. "What are you going to do about it?" They challenged before looking at each other. She stiffened, recognizing the motion and urged the two betas behind to step back, extending her arms backwards and pushing them behind her forcefully, anticipating the situation to escalate.
Just as she predicted, they began to peel off their shirts and tossed them to the side.
"Get going, now," she ordered to Scott and Isaac but both refused to budge. One kneeled down while the other loomed. Madison swallowed bitterly. "Scott, Isaac, now," she urged. In a panic, she decided to resort to her own advantage and undid her waist belt, handing it to Isaac who took it hesitantly, confused, and even more so when his stunned eyes captured the flesh of her back as she shed her designer shirt, forcing it onto Scott by slamming the fisted shirt into his chest, exposing her black lace bra and just as dark leggings underneath. She stepped out of her shoes and kicked them aside, barefoot for a moment as the Alpha twins tilted their heads in confusion, mirroring Isaac and Scott.
In a sudden fury of ripping clothes, Madison doubled over in a blur. The sound of bones cracking and rearranging startled them before her slender figure was replaced with a menacing black shape of course fur and snarling teeth, snapping at the pair who jolted back, recognizing the abnormally sized beast as the one from before.
Isaac, too, recognized her from that very night and couldn't stop the sneaky smile on his face as he realized what she was and what she did, instinctively raising his hand to his forehead where the wound was. She stood in that same defensive stance, guarding Scott just as she with the kids while her long, bushy tail whipped against Isaac's hip forcefully.
She snarled menacingly as the twins began to mold together. She backed up, forcing Isaac and Scott to do the same of her weight and force stunned them into a moment of involuntary submission. She snarled louder, dipping her large black head low, flattening her ears defensively on her head and raising her lips to show her larger-than-normal canine fangs to impose a threat.
"We can take them," Isaac boldly stated, tossing his bag to the side and rolling his sleeved. Madison growled viciously, both warningly at Isaac and the twins to assert to severity of the situation. Scott looked incredulously at Isaac, bewildered by his daring proclamation.
"Are you kidding?" Scott exclaimed in a panic. He grabbed Isaac's wrist and tugged him back while his other hand urged Madison frantically to follow them. "Isaac!" He screamed, running away from the barreling mutated beast. Madison kept her ground, crouching in anticipation before leaping to the side in a matter of moments. The twins missed her. She took the opportunity to bite at the ankles, tripping them effectively and they came crashing onto the floor with a loud, tile-shattering thud. She had successfully torn their skin with her razor sharp teeth, prompting a flooding of flood to pool from the wound.
Madison spun her head, smelling a new presence and narrowed in at blind man tapping his way through the hall.
"Madison, what a sight to behold I can only assume," he mused, glancing down at where her crouched figure lay. "A true Hell Hound in every possible way." He grinned while she snapped defensively. He looked down at his arm, tracing his unmarred skin with a delicate finger, and glanced back at her. "As you might notice, that bite of yours didn't do the intended trick," he smirked. "I won't need that antidote after all."
The abomination of the conjoined Alphas had separated, leaving them aching on the floor as their feet swelled. They glanced at Deucalion as he made it way towards. They struggled to pick themselves up and align perfectly in a display of obedience and discipline. Deucalion twisted off a cap off his cane, Madison observed with vivid red eyes, revealing a sharp arrow like tip at the end. She was joined by Scott who had come to her aid, kneeling down beside her and tugging her mane to leave eagerly, scared for her safety but she remained cool and solid, standing her ground. In a quick, swift motion, he struck the two boys, marring a thin but deep gash on their cheeks. Madison winced at the corporal punishment.
She watched as they stepped aside and let him pass, following him through like a military march like the loyal pawns they were.
"Who the hell is that," Isaac demanded next to Scott. His eyes widened at the red tainting of Madison's fangs, concerned but was assured by her strong, solid figure she was safe and unharmed.
Deucalion, Madison's livid voice answered telepathically. He jolted at her voice, unused to the sensation but was calmed by her dimming eyes, as the red-eyed demonic seeming wolf had dulled to a stunning blue eyes creature in contrast to her midnight black fur.
Teen Wolf
"This is just one of many possibilities," Dr. Deaton offered, examining the objects on Mr. Harris' desk. "Could have simply left for the day," he also suggested, taking in the empty classroom. Stiles frantically sifted through the drawers, gathering as much evidence as possible with Tabitha's aid as she overlooked his shoulder.
"Yeah, well," Stiles retorted, pulling a laptop case from the floor, "not without this."
Tabitha sorted through the paper Stiles had scattered from the abandoned bag. She furrowed her brows, pointing at one of the letter grades marked in red. Stiles also knitted his brows in surprise at her revelation and picked up the graded test for closer examination.
"What," Dr. Deaton probed in concern.
Stiles turned the piece of paper over to show Deaton the red 'R' on top of the page. "This test is graded R," he announced in suspicion. Deaton came forward to see for himself.
"This one's an H," Lydia added, showing her copy.
Tabitha sifted through the others, catching A's and a C, all appearing normal if it wasn't for the multiple markings on one which was ironically deemed 'A' worthy. She knotted her brows together in confusion and lifted it up, separating it from the rest as it was unusual.
"This is no way an 'A'," Tabitha supplied, handing it to Deaton. "That has to be D material," she pointed at all the crossed out questions. Deaton nodded in agreement and pilled it on top of his growing collection of evidence.
He gathered the rest on the desk, trying to formulate a possible word these could compile to be. She watched as he listed them down, D-A-R-A-C-H. She tried to think of what it could mean but came up with nothing.
"Stiles, you remember when we mentioned Druid is the Gaelic word for wise oak?" Dr. Deaton reminded. Stiles and Tabitha nodded. "If a Druid when down the wrong path, the 'Wise Oak' was sometimes said to become a 'Dark Oak,' and there's a Gaelic word for that as well." He looked down at the alignment of papers, prompting the others to do so as well. "Darach," Dr. Deaton read out loud.
Teen Wolf
She was furious. Madison Dubolazov was yet again tempted to rampage a bloody tirade as she stormed into the building, pillaged with Isaac's pain when memories of his father's traumatic 'teachings' and excessive discipline bombarded the poor boy's psyche after Derek's carelessly threw the glass at him.
The many problems to being mentally linked to one person were to be able to feel everything including your own reactions, creating a stressed mind and tense body. She was about to blow as her need to comfort Isaac was equally matched by her urge to violently rip something apart.
"Isaac," Madison exclaimed, catching the boy off guard. "Are you okay?" She ran forward up the stairs, capturing the boy in a hug. She set aside her fury and smothered the boy with compassion, holding him tight while his limp arms held tightly onto a small bag of his belongings. "I saw what Derek did –it wasn't right," she side with him. "Do you need a ride or place to stay? You can come home with me. I have a couch and a guest room that you can chose from," she offered.
"How," Isaac asked in disbelief.
"I see everything you see," she explained, tracing the area she had clawed him. "It's one of my many skills."
Isaac smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks Madison," he replied wearily, unsure how to accept her kindness but with her empathetic smile and soft blue eyes, he felt trusting of her –disregarding any other moments of brutality and viciousness she had displayed earlier. "I think…I think I want to see Scott first." He declined politely. "Thank you though."
"I can give you a drive," Madison offered. She dug in her pocket and handed him the keys. "It's parked up front. Put your stuff in my trunk and I'll meet you there in a second. I have to scold Derek," she assured. "You know what it looks like, right," she asked, "a white, 2-door BMW?" Isaac nodded. She hugged him briefly before nudging him down, letting him pass as she stormed up the staircase, eager to barge in with a renewed fury blazing in her stormy blue eyes.
"Really, Derek," she yelled, barging in. Derek jumped at her furious voice and spun to meet her livid glare. "Of all things, you need to throw a glass as Isaac? I get it that you want to protect your pack but that does not condone you to scare them off to avoid danger! If you pulled that shit on me you'd be dead in a pool of your own blood –which by the way, we will be talking about sooner or later," she pointed strictly. Her lips curled into a sour cold. "You could have told him, talked to him, suggested to him something along the lines of I need personal time with Cora or some miserably drift of a similar line."
Cora looked at her from the pillar, offended and opened her mouth to protest but was immediately quieted by Madison's murderous glare. "Do not talk unless I ask you to, do you understand? I do not like you, I do not trust you, and I certainly will not tolerate any mouthy comment coming from your lips because you feel protected by your brother. News flash princess, I can kill both you and I certainly have no problem arranging that." She roared, pointing a clawed finger her way. Cora shook in her shoes at Madison's furious streak, alarmed by the way Derek remained silent during her tirade, almost frightened of the blaring blonde himself.
Madison returned her wrath to Derek who stood there silent. "You really need to work on your Alpha skills if that's how you're going to treat your pack members," she insulted. Derek winced. "Maybe you need to rethink your position."
"Is that what you've been after all along," Derek snarled, "my place as Alpha? Is that way you've been hanging around her? Is that why you coddle Isaac like he's some sort of child to you?" He hissed. Madison returned a growl, putting him in his place as her eyes blared red.
"I'm being a friend helping all of you, but it's making my job especially difficult when you fuck it up all the time, that maybe perhaps I do consider the possibilities of adopting your pack but then I remind myself it's not my duty to guide a bunch of puppies," she snarled. "Whatever soft spot I have for Isaac is none of your damn business," she harked.
"You're not going to give me answers or excuses," she observed. "You're just going to sit there and brood like a child, unable to accept your wrong-doings and just pout because life didn't go your way. Too damn bad," she jeered. "You took responsibility for these kids and now you have to own up to it, all of it. You put them in danger so now you have to protect them, but you go about it all wrong. I won't give you a lecture because honestly I don't have time for that. I have better things to do than lecture you. It's not my job and it shouldn't have to be."
"And you're such a good leader yourself," Derek sarcastically recoiled. "You abandoned your own pack," he reminded her. "If anything you're a hypocrite."
Madison shook her head. "At least I own up to my mistakes," she accepted, "and I moved past them," she said calmly before tensing. "My father was an Alpha but I inherited that role far too young and I couldn't handle it. I don't have all the qualities I need to be a good Alpha but neither do you. I'm was pre-destined to be a strong, dependable Beta –a second in command –just like my dad was predicted to be but shit happens and we have to adjust to roles out of our comfort zone. He was the oldest and although not experienced, my dad over ceded my uncle as the executor and Alpha to do what was right. He stepped up to be an Alpha as had I. I'm not a natural leader, Derek, but I accept that, and maybe you should, too. Maybe you need to stop trying to be something you're not. Power is a very difficult thing to handle and some of us can't deal with it –and you're not one of the few who can."
Derek stood there, soaking in her words as each painful insult was delivered in the form of truthful words. His conscious reminded him of her lurking figure waiting behind him, anticipating his fall, and jumping ahead to replace his spot.
"Scott, though, he's different from us. He was never meant to be a Beta. I didn't see it at first but maybe it's because I was blind and biased. Now, though, I see it very well. He has what we don't. What I lack in compassion, he compensates, and he has reasoning that's far more logical than mine. His intentions are pure and he puts others ahead of himself. That's Alpha material and when he sees his opportunity, you better believe I'll be there beside him faithfully. Maybe it's time you join the bandwagon, too," she concluded, walking away slowly. "You tried Derek, I'll give you that much, but some of us aren't meant to be Alphas."
"Could you really let it go," Derek challenged, mustering a surprising amount of strength in his voice to match hers. "Being an Alpha, would you really be able to give away your power just like that?" He challenged. "Do you understand what you're asking me to do?" He yelled.
Her face froze, tightening into a solid mask of neutrality to hide her conflict before spinning around to face Derek once more.
"Keep in mind, Derek, I could be an Omega and I'd still be stronger than you, faster than you, smarter than you…it's not always about positions and power. It's what you have to survive and sometimes power isn't enough. Deucalion is going to learn soon enough and so are you," she marshaled. She sighed. "And to answer your question, the answer is… probably not," she sighed in slight defeat, "but I am willing to admit my wrong doings." She retorted. "I would have choice but…naturally my personality wouldn't allow me to relinquish control like that. Not unless I found a leader just as capable as I that I could trust. That hasn't happened yet but if I did, perhaps, I wouldn't mind being a Beta. Surely, in the right pack, my expertise would be useful and I would be a significant aid, but as of now, being practical, I'm an Alpha and must behave as such accordingly." She said harshly.
He felt a pang in his chest as he realized the cost of the façade she had paid to maintain the image of power and control –the loss of happiness and joy –and how that one little sacrifice could change that –how willing she would be to surrender her power for the sake of having a functional pack that cared for each other.
'Not unless I found a leader just as capable as I that I could trust. That hasn't happened yet but if I did, perhaps, I wouldn't mind being a Beta…' The doubt in her words pierced Derek's cold armor when he caught onto those specific words, repeating them in his head and inhaling sharply, painfully, upon the truth sinking in. She didn't believe in him enough to let go of such a powerful title –still weary of his capabilities –wounding him deeply as he already doubted his abilities. He hid his hurt behind cold eyes –the same tactic she applied many times before him –and emotionlessly glared at her, urging her silently to leave. She took it graciously and left without another word.
She met Isaac outside, sliding into the car and pulling away from the curb.
"Thank you," Isaac kindly thanked her. "I appreciate the ride."
"Isaac," she began, "I'm telling you this because you ought to know. Alphas make mistakes –we're not perfect, believe me –and Derek is no different. He does things…childishly, selfishly it may seem like but the truth is he does it out of selflessness –for reasons he can't tell you because he feels like it's his right to protect you. I won't say what because that's his place –not mine –and I respect him enough to not interfere but I will step in if necessary because it's my obligation to help you. To put it in a nut shell," she explained as she turned to the desolate highway. "Derek is new at this –he wasn't destined to be an Alpha. He adopted that role from his father, who passed it down to the oldest –Laura –who naturally would have passed it down to Derek but the naturally succession was unfortunately interrupted by Peter before Derek rightfully earning it back." She sighed heavily and pursed her lips in deep thought. "That shouldn't have happened. Laura should still be alive and Derek should be a Beta but the lesson is: We have to adjust to roles and Derek hasn't quite gotten it down –keep that in mind. He wasn't expected to be an Alpha and when power is thrust upon someone so suddenly like that it takes them quite a while to get a handle on it." She rambled nervously, tapping her hands on the wheel incessantly.
"You know what the funny thing is? I should've been a beta. It was pre-destined before I was even born –even before my dad met my mom. It was all genetics. He was a Beta therefore I ought to be a Beta, but life has a funny way of altering our circumstances. Because of my Dad's sacrifice, and his father's sacrifice, and the poor timing, he became an Alpha, thus imposing the same destiny upon me. I was also given critical responsibilities that –because of the years I spent harnessing my abilities –I stepped up to. Being an Alpha isn't about the power," she confided, looking at Isaac intensely. "It's about meeting the needs of other –that's what power is about –having the lives of others depending on your decisions –and some people lost track of it. Derek hasn't –I know that –but Deucalion surely has. I did a while back, too, but I'm making up those mistakes, learning from my failures and actually growing to become a better leader –a better Alpha."
Isaac sat solemnly in his seat, taking in her wise words. Madison didn't realize she was lecturing unaware of the passing time on the clock on her dashboard, and neither was Isaac who was awed by her knowledge and personal details. He was grateful though for her perspective –a new light he had never seen before.
He realized there as she spoke passionately that she wasn't who she let on to be. She was more than just a pretty face, or a deadly Alpha. She was rounded –something she had become during her experience in Russia granting her a new sight and vision of her world and those around her unbeknownst to him.
"I had years to adjust and even then, I still couldn't get it down –I wasn't meant to be an Alpha. My father was supposed to be a Beta –a tracker –someone who took orders rather than give them –but just like Derek, a shift in family dynamic caused him to take control at a young age and he was one of the few who knew how to carry out the responsibility –sadly he wasn't there long enough to teach me –which wasn't his fault –but either way, I had to adjust in my own way. I was one of the Alphas who put aside any compassion and ruled with an Iron fist because I couldn't afford to have my vision impaired by emotions. Derek is the opposite. He isn't logical, he's too emotional, and he put your happiness over your safety –and I see from tonight he knows that, so he's trying to change that, switching it around…" she frowned disapprovingly, shaking her head as they sped down the highway, shaving time off their intended passage into the residential suburban area.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is, we each have a certain way we lead. People like me –the kind of people who use intelligence like me often disregard emotions as a factor. Alphas like me –like Deucalion –we think objectively, much to the displeasure of those under us who don't 'feel' like it's the right course of action. We think of the long haul towards the end. We're tacticians, critical, calculating, calm-headed and collected people who…" she paused as she devised other words to fit with her theme, "people who focus on the essentials."
"Then there's Derek. He leads with the opposite course of action. Who acts upon emotions and often acts rashly because of it. He is often impassioned and heated, easily moved and frequently torn by duty and conflicting internal forces. He's wants to please his pack, often denying himself his own happiness for the sake of yours. He becomes a martyr. People like me –we easily take advantage of his kind because he's predictable –we can manipulate him without him knowing." Her eyes shifted uneasily over the road as she slowed and coming to a speed meeting the limit authorized. "That's my concern. If I see the opportunity to take advantage of him, so does Deucalion, and you better believe Deucalion is an opportunistic man –he's going to take it and Derek won't know any better than to fall for it."